Partly inspired by the speculative ideas thread, and partly as a follow-up to the SWML thread on here a couple of weeks ago, I thought it might be good to start a thread on how Cross Country appeared to come to be in BR days - based partly on my own memory, but also on the old timetables in timetableworlld.com. If anyone has any memories feel free to share them here.
It focuses more on Reading services as I am more familiar with those.
I first used XC (as I will call it, note this is the service pattern, not the TOC!) in December 1982 on the 12:00 Guildford-Stafford (actually Portsmouth-Manchester). At this stage I knew what a CIG and a VEP were, but little else, but it was probably hauled by a cl.47; it definitely had 'older' Mk-II coaches. I do remember it was an electric loco beyond Birmingham. However I didn't follow the 1982 timetable so can't make too many comments on it.
Looking at the WR timetable from 1973 on timetableworld.com, it appears that at that time, there were just three daily services from Southampton to Birmingham, some extending north from there. Most of the 'XC' Reading-Birmingham corridor was provided by approximately two-hourly services from Paddington to New Street. These were the successors to the old Paddington to Birkenhead Woodside services; could these thus be considered the ultimate ancestor of the modern XC? However they had been diverted to run via Reading and Oxford by 1973 and served New Street, which was probably a more useful route anyway.
Pleasingly, the small number of Southampton services slotted nicely into the gaps so you had an approximately hourly, almost-clockface service out of Reading leaving around xx40; strangely similar to the mid-80s pattern. There were still one or two hours without a service though; such a pattern was still present in 1984/85.
Most services appeared to only go to Birmingham, not further north. Also, north of Birmingham, a standardised pattern for Manchesters and Liverpools appears to have been introduced by then, which again persisted into the mid-80s: xx55, even hours Liverpool, odd hours Manchester. Most originated from Bristol or Cardiff but the odd one from Southampton or Poole.
The hours with no Birmingham departure out of Paddington tended to provide a Worcester departure instead, so you had clockface hourly (xx05) out of Paddington to either Birmingham, or Worcester and beyond.
Next old timetable I have seen is 1981 (ABC on timetableworld.com) and then, while there were now 5 trains a day from Southampton and a couple of Brightons, there were still many Paddingtons, and the Paddingtons were the only ones with a clockface departure time at some times in the day. Standard Paddington departure seemed to be xx50, and again they alternated Birmingham and Worcester. However, the only regular interval services were the 1150, 1350, 1550 out of Paddington, 1222, 1422 and 1622 out of Reading. Before and after this time of day they departed at other times.
Also the Southampton and Brighton services did not combine 'nicely' with the Paddingtons so you had phenomena like a 1622, 1640 and 1704 to Birmingham from Reading (Paddington, Poole and Brighton, respectively). In summary, the 1981 service seemed more haphazard: a combination of Paddingtons, Pooles and Brightons but not arranged to give an even-interval service. As late as this, it appeared that there was not a 'Cross Country product' as such, just a meshing together of separate service groups.
North of Birmingham it was a different matter, the regular xx55 pattern was maintained and you also had an odd-hour xx10 (or so) to Manchester which meant approximately hourly services Birmingham to Manchester. Most Readings only got as far as New St with only a few continuing north, even this late.
By 1983 however this had changed and there was a clockface northerly departure pattern out of Reading during daytime. with most hours covered, just the odd gap. By now, more services started on the south coast, and less at Paddington - it appeared the true 'XC product' had arrived. Also the vast majority now continued north of Birmingham. I think 1982 may have seen some steps towards this too. Of note here was the through Worcester services had stopped by then too, becoming an Oxford-Worcester DMU, which would have shook things up a little.
So in 1983 you had at Reading, from memory (it's possible I have mixed up Liverpool and Manchester on some);
0630 to Liverpool ex Paddington
0730 to Glasgow ex Paddington
0837 to Liverpool ex Poole
0937 to Manchester ex Portsmouth
1037 to Manchester ex Brighton
1137 to Newcastle ex Poole
--- gap ----
1337 to Liverpool(?) ex Paddington, though this would be the 1555 ex New Street which should be a Manchester - see above - so it might have been a Manchester.
1437 to Liverpool, IIRC, ex Poole
1537 to Manchester ex Brighton
1637 to Liverpool, IIRC, ex Poole
I think there was no 17xx, and there were later services but never stayed at Reading late enough to see them.
These were all 47 haulage, I think, with the older Mk-II: the exception being the 0730 and 1137 which had the newer Mk-II and the 1337 was hauled by a 50, IIRC. Not sure of the haulage of the 0630, 0730 and 0837 south of Birmingham as I was never in Reading early enough! North of Birmingham all services I saw appeared to change to electric, most usually 85 or 86, sometimes 87 - except Sundays when you had through 47 working north of Birmingham.
Anyway that's enough for now but will follow up with 1984 and 1986 timetables later.
It focuses more on Reading services as I am more familiar with those.
I first used XC (as I will call it, note this is the service pattern, not the TOC!) in December 1982 on the 12:00 Guildford-Stafford (actually Portsmouth-Manchester). At this stage I knew what a CIG and a VEP were, but little else, but it was probably hauled by a cl.47; it definitely had 'older' Mk-II coaches. I do remember it was an electric loco beyond Birmingham. However I didn't follow the 1982 timetable so can't make too many comments on it.
Looking at the WR timetable from 1973 on timetableworld.com, it appears that at that time, there were just three daily services from Southampton to Birmingham, some extending north from there. Most of the 'XC' Reading-Birmingham corridor was provided by approximately two-hourly services from Paddington to New Street. These were the successors to the old Paddington to Birkenhead Woodside services; could these thus be considered the ultimate ancestor of the modern XC? However they had been diverted to run via Reading and Oxford by 1973 and served New Street, which was probably a more useful route anyway.
Pleasingly, the small number of Southampton services slotted nicely into the gaps so you had an approximately hourly, almost-clockface service out of Reading leaving around xx40; strangely similar to the mid-80s pattern. There were still one or two hours without a service though; such a pattern was still present in 1984/85.
Most services appeared to only go to Birmingham, not further north. Also, north of Birmingham, a standardised pattern for Manchesters and Liverpools appears to have been introduced by then, which again persisted into the mid-80s: xx55, even hours Liverpool, odd hours Manchester. Most originated from Bristol or Cardiff but the odd one from Southampton or Poole.
The hours with no Birmingham departure out of Paddington tended to provide a Worcester departure instead, so you had clockface hourly (xx05) out of Paddington to either Birmingham, or Worcester and beyond.
Next old timetable I have seen is 1981 (ABC on timetableworld.com) and then, while there were now 5 trains a day from Southampton and a couple of Brightons, there were still many Paddingtons, and the Paddingtons were the only ones with a clockface departure time at some times in the day. Standard Paddington departure seemed to be xx50, and again they alternated Birmingham and Worcester. However, the only regular interval services were the 1150, 1350, 1550 out of Paddington, 1222, 1422 and 1622 out of Reading. Before and after this time of day they departed at other times.
Also the Southampton and Brighton services did not combine 'nicely' with the Paddingtons so you had phenomena like a 1622, 1640 and 1704 to Birmingham from Reading (Paddington, Poole and Brighton, respectively). In summary, the 1981 service seemed more haphazard: a combination of Paddingtons, Pooles and Brightons but not arranged to give an even-interval service. As late as this, it appeared that there was not a 'Cross Country product' as such, just a meshing together of separate service groups.
North of Birmingham it was a different matter, the regular xx55 pattern was maintained and you also had an odd-hour xx10 (or so) to Manchester which meant approximately hourly services Birmingham to Manchester. Most Readings only got as far as New St with only a few continuing north, even this late.
By 1983 however this had changed and there was a clockface northerly departure pattern out of Reading during daytime. with most hours covered, just the odd gap. By now, more services started on the south coast, and less at Paddington - it appeared the true 'XC product' had arrived. Also the vast majority now continued north of Birmingham. I think 1982 may have seen some steps towards this too. Of note here was the through Worcester services had stopped by then too, becoming an Oxford-Worcester DMU, which would have shook things up a little.
So in 1983 you had at Reading, from memory (it's possible I have mixed up Liverpool and Manchester on some);
0630 to Liverpool ex Paddington
0730 to Glasgow ex Paddington
0837 to Liverpool ex Poole
0937 to Manchester ex Portsmouth
1037 to Manchester ex Brighton
1137 to Newcastle ex Poole
--- gap ----
1337 to Liverpool(?) ex Paddington, though this would be the 1555 ex New Street which should be a Manchester - see above - so it might have been a Manchester.
1437 to Liverpool, IIRC, ex Poole
1537 to Manchester ex Brighton
1637 to Liverpool, IIRC, ex Poole
I think there was no 17xx, and there were later services but never stayed at Reading late enough to see them.
These were all 47 haulage, I think, with the older Mk-II: the exception being the 0730 and 1137 which had the newer Mk-II and the 1337 was hauled by a 50, IIRC. Not sure of the haulage of the 0630, 0730 and 0837 south of Birmingham as I was never in Reading early enough! North of Birmingham all services I saw appeared to change to electric, most usually 85 or 86, sometimes 87 - except Sundays when you had through 47 working north of Birmingham.
Anyway that's enough for now but will follow up with 1984 and 1986 timetables later.
Last edited: